Have any of you been in a situation where you just lost the will to play? Not talking about the occasional bad day where you feel rusted up and boring, but a very long period of time where music has become a foreign language. In my case it was because of personal issues with a bandmate (ego, narcissism, etc). I couldn't even look at my guitar for almost two years. It was like being with someone and falling out of love with them to the point of resentment. Thankfully, I'm starting to get "the bug" again and I feel like it's time for a comeback but I'm so out of shape when it comes to playing, I don't even know where or how to get my groove back.

Any tips on how to bounce back after a long hiatus? I'm 30, a young 30, and I still want to write amazing music and conquer the world \m/ but for some reason it's almost impossible to actually sit down and start playing again. It's like there's a wall in front of me that I can't scale no matter how much I want to.

Any advice tips and words of wisdom will be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks in advance,Peace, love and good happiness stuff ,Jonathan

P.S. I hope this is in the right section and I apologize for being so melodramatic but it really is a problem I can't seem to solve by myself. Cheers \m/

I'm feeling almost what you're feeling. I just don't resent the guitar/music.

I'm having less and less interest in it (I've got some songs, one or two actually decent) and since I've watched a couple of videos of Daniel Barenboim playing Beethoven, I'm thinking that the guitar is a leisure compared to the piano. And why should I play and compose for something that isn't the best one available ?

In my humble view of this problem you have almost solved it yourself. As long as you have the bug it will come back to you. Just try to remember what made you fall in love with guitar in the first place and you will find your way quickly. Liten to the music that blew your mind so much that you decided to get one and learn how to play it just like that. I can also recommend Steve Vai's master class. He had a lot of great advice to share so find a place close enough, find the funds and go! Questions like yours came up and he gave his take on how to set yourself straight. I can't write it all because he spoke for several hours! I will tell you some. He spoke of simple, non religious meditation to calm and clear the mind of negative thoughts. Play what YOU want instead of worrying about what others might think. He said that he, himself wasn't a natural guitarist but that he had to practice and fight for it. He also said that you cannot fail until you give up. I hope this will help both of you find the courage to fight for what you want again.Best of luck to you and let us know how it turns out.

Health problems for the last three years have stymied my playing, but even though they're not all cleared up yet, I'm making a determination to bounce back whether my whole body is ready to or not.. I'm tired of waiting... you have to push through the pain and the obstacles, as the song goes 'the only way out is through' and there just isn't any other way around it. Practice in segments though, because pushing too hard all at once can pinch your nerves and make your arms feel like they're going to sleep on you at odd times, especially at night when you're trying to rest. Be inspired by others' examples as well... that's why there's not just a single human being living on the earth by itself at any one time. We're all there to help each other out, a lesson too often missed. Steve's show the other night here in Mobile was extremely inspirational. To me intimidation turns into inspiration and lights a fire under me to do better, not to roll over and quit. I play with guitarists here in town who are much better than me all the time. I love it. It's a beautiful thing...

But seriously, I've had that happen twice and just started playing along with some albums that I liked. I didn't worry about my usual concerns of writing and improving my playing or whatever. Just having fun. I think that's key. Because if it's not fun, why play?